Replied by(Noman) Replied on (10/Mar/2008)

Police raided a guesthouse-cum- club in F-10/3 Saturday night leading to the arrest of 52 people including 20 women, some of them foreign nationals, and three MPs-elect.
* One MNA, two MPAs-elect released shortly after raid
* SSP warns of more raids to curb "˜immoral activities'

By Imran Naeem Ahmad and Fazal Sher

ISLAMABAD: Police raided a guesthouse-cum- club in F-10/3 Saturday night leading to the arrest of 52 people including 20 women, some of them foreign nationals, and three MPs-elect.

Police said there had been reports in recent days of the club being
used for illegal activities, which was also creating problems for the
area residents.

Being a weekend, the club, Cat House, was at its peak activity when a
police team headed by Magistrate Muhammad Liaquat Abbasi and Deputy
Superintendent of Police (DSP) Farhat Abbas Kazmi conducted the raid.

The club owner, Zafar Iqbal Shahid, was also arrested. He was found
monitoring from his office the action going on inside the club through
a closed-circuit camera.

Judicial Magistrate Hidayatullah granted bail to all the women,
including six Chinese nationals, under the Women Protection Bill. Cases
against the accused were registered under Sections 371A, 371B, 496 B,
13-20/60 and ¾ of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Ps released: Prominent among those arrested were an MNA and two
MPAs-elect. They were released shortly afterwards by Shalimar police.
Police said they had recovered 44 bottles of imported liquor and 88
bottles of beer besides three guns and ammunition.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Syed Kaleem Imam told Daily Times
on Sunday that following complaints from residents, a notice was served
on the owner asking him to shut down the club.
"Since he paid no heed to the notice, considering the residents'
problems, we took action," Imam said, adding that the six Chinese women
would now be deported. Earlier, the authorities had deported 13 Chinese
women.

More raids: Imam warned of more raids on clubs and places where illicit
activities were being carried out. "We have raided such spots in the
past and would continue to do so in future," he said, expressing his
resolve to clean up all clubs of such illegal activities. He said the
club owner was unlikely to get bail.

Inaugurated by a former state minister, Cat House had a dance floor, a
bar and "˜special rooms' for guests. Police said they had also seized
computers and identity cards of several people from the premises.
The residents said that drunken men and women were regularly seen
coming out of the club and there were brawls almost every day. "We
faced great problems because of this and couldn't venture out of our
homes for an evening stroll," said Nasir Farooq, a resident.

Another resident, wanting not to be identified, said that loud music
and noise coming out of the club had made life troublesome for them.
"It used to get worse on weekends," she pointed out while appreciating
the police raid. "They have done well to close down the place but I
think the police acted late," she said.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\03\10\story_10-3-2008_pg11_1